"The president's plan to deploy up to 6,000 National Guard troops to free the Border Patrol to hunt illegal immigrants is a model of stark simplicity, one sure to hearten the Minuteman vigilantes, frightened conspiracy theorists, English-only Latinophobes, right-wing radio and TV personalities, and members of Congress who have no patience for sorting out the various mixed blessings that surging immigration has given this country."

So if you support securing the borders, you are either a vigilante, some kind of phobe, or a right-wing whack job media person.

But a funny thing happened on the way to that editorial. A CNN poll says 75 percent of Americans support putting the Guard on the border. That's a lot of phobes.

The New York Times employs just two conservative columnists. And one of them, John Tierney, wrote this today:

"[Illegal aliens] are coming to feed us, not take our food, yet we're demanding that our leaders keep them out. No Mexican busboys! No Guatemalan cooks! Stop them before they grill again!"

Good line -- flawed thinking. I might remind Mr. Tierney and his newspaper that while most illegal aliens are good people, there are major problems.

There are more than 100,000 illegal aliens in prison for felonies in the USA. And according to a study at Columbia University, illegal immigration costs American taxpayers more than $68 billion a year.

Now in 1986, President Reagan thought he could solve the problem by granting about three million illegal aliens amnesty. The New York Times was in heaven, editorializing back then, "The new law won't work miracles but it will induce most employers to pay attention, to turn off the magnets, to slow the tide."

Of course, just the opposite happened, but the Times hasn't learned a thing. That's because the newspaper and many far-left thinkers believe the white power structure that controls America is bad, so a drastic change is needed.

According to the lefty zealots, the white Christians who hold power must be swept out by a new multicultural tie, a rainbow coalition, if you will. This can only happen if demographics change in America.

An open border policy and the legalization of millions of Hispanic illegal aliens would deeply affect the political landscape in America. That's what The New York Times and many others on the left want. They might get it.

And that's "The Memo."

The Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

As you know, President Bush has been consistent in wanting no deportation for the approximately 12 million illegal aliens in the USA right now. Some conservatives deplore that stance. But amazingly, amazingly, Howard Dean went on the Jon Stewart program last night and said this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

HOWARD DEAN, DNC CHAIRMAN: Here's the big difference between us and the right-wing bill that passed the House with the president's support. This is a president who can't find a 6'4 Saudi terrorist. How is he going to find 12 million undocumented people and send them all back across the border? That's what he wants to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

Now, Mr. Bush has never advocated sending illegal aliens back over the border en masse. Simply put, Dean lied. And I don't use that word lightly.

O'REILLY: Howard Dean outright lied on the Stewart show last night. How do you react to that?

MARVIN KALB, HARVARD LECTURER: I react with abhorrence to the use of the word liar when you are ascribing it as you are to a politician who is trying to win cookie points on a program such as Jon Stewart's.

O'REILLY: Do you think he was being truthful?

KALB: I think he was being truthful to himself.

O'REILLY: Now is there any — is there any measure of truth then in this country? We saw a president give a speech where he — and everybody would acknowledge this who was being fair and balanced...

KALB: Right.

O'REILLY: Where he went over the line to say I want to give 12 million illegal aliens a chance. Do you agree...

KALB: Absolutely.

O'REILLY: And then an hour later, Howard Dean, the head of the Democratic National Committee, professor, goes on a national program and says the president wants to round up and throw out said 12 million illegal aliens, and you are yelling at me for using the word liar, sir?

KALB: I am uncomfortable with the use of the word liar.

O'REILLY: Are you uncomfortable with the truth?

KALB: I am not uncomfortable with the truth.

O'REILLY: Did I say anything that was not true.

KALB: No, you described what happened...

O'REILLY: Did Howard Dean say anything that was not true?

KALB: You see, you got me on that, Bill. I didn't see...

O'REILLY: Yes, I do. OK. You know, that's why I love you. When I got you, at least you admitted it.

(END AUDIOTAPE)

Ridiculous? You make the call.

—You can catch Bill O'Reilly's "Talking Points Memo" and "Most Ridiculous Item" weeknights at 8 and 11 p.m. ET on the FOX News Channel and any time on foxnews.com/oreilly. Send your comments to:oreilly@foxnews.com